My book by Lynn Nelson just says middle class person which could be a land owner however these are witnesses so other than their spelling and age not much importance here. I find it interesting however but we have the same in our English language multiple meanings.

in these records, the people with the occupation may be witnesses but in other records they may be ancestors, so it is important to understand the word as it was used during the time period in which they lived. Another source I had found some time ago gives the following explanation--

"civile" was utilized to indicate a well-off person denied or deprived of academic titles, but with elevated cultural characteristics respected by the mass (or rest of the population)

erudita74 wrote:in these records, the people with the occupation may be witnesses but in other records they may be ancestors, so it is important to understand the word as it was used during the time period in which they lived. Another source I had found some time ago gives the following explanation--

"civile" was utilized to indicate a well-off person denied or deprived of academic titles, but with elevated cultural characteristics respected by the mass (or rest of the population)

MartyI've spent a lot of time over the years researching the various occupations found in the Italian civil records. I have learned that word lists found on the internet, and current Italian dictionaries, will give you an English translation of the Italian word but not really help you to understand the type of work in which your ancestors engaged. So I still spend a lot of time researching the occupations. I wouldn't say I am an expert though, as I am still learning.Erudita